School Knott rises to 232 metres east of Windermere — close in height to Orrest Head and with very similar views back over the lake to the Langdale Pikes, but with a fraction of the visitors. The summit is open, grassy, and sometimes shared with the few sheep that crop the fellside.
The standard route starts at the Windermere Hotel near the station, follows footpath signs east through farmland, and climbs through a small wood to the broad rounded top. Allow about 90 minutes there and back at a leisurely pace. The descent route down to the small tarn just below the summit (School Knott Tarn) makes a pleasant extension; from there a lane returns to town past the village of Heathwaite.